August 2011
A publication of http://start-home-business-org

Imagination

Chances are you are looking to improve your life. You want to achieve Success. Most people have some vague idea of what Success means to them, but are not really sure how to achieve it. When you were born, you were issued a tool kit – just like new automobiles come with a tool kit – you know, a jack and a lug wrench. Most people have never used their auto's jack or lug wrench; they wouldn't know how.

In your personal tool kit is a tool called "imagination." Many people don't know how to use that tool. That tool is almost magic; it can be used to help you do almost anything. But don't believe only me. In a moment you will see several quotes from famous, successful people about that wonderful tool called "imagination." After those quotes, we'll discuss how to use that tool to help you achieve Success in business or any other area of your life. Stick around.

Imagination Quotes

A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral. Antoine de Saint-Exupery

All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers. Orison Swett Marden

All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose. Brian Tracy

Imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity. L. Frank Baum

Imagination is the voice of daring. If there is anything Godlike about God it is that. He dared to imagine everything. Henry Miller

Imagination rules the world. Napoleon Bonaparte

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere. Carl Sagan

Imagine for yourself a character, a model personality, whose example you determine to follow, in private as well as in public. Epictetus

The most imaginative people are the most credulous, for them everything is possible. Alexander Chase

There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds. Gilbert K. Chesterton

There is a boundary to men's passions when they act from feelings; but none when they are under the influence of imagination. Edmund Burke

And finally a statement by Napoleon Hill, from his 1928 edition of The Law of Success:

A PERSONAL STATEMENT BY THE AUTHOR

Some thirty years ago a young clergyman by the name of Gunsaulus announced in the newspapers of Chicago that he would preach a sermon the following Sunday morning entitled:
"WHAT I WOULD DO IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS!"

The announcement caught the eye of Philip D. Armour, the wealthy packing-house king, who decided to hear the sermon.

In his sermon Dr. Gunsaulus pictured a great school of technology where young men and young women could be taught how to succeed in life by developing the ability to THINK in practical rather than in theoretical terms; where they would be taught to "learn by doing." "If I had a million dollars," said the young preacher, "I would start such a school."

After the sermon was over Mr. Armour walked down the aisle to the pulpit, introduced himself, and said, "Young man, I believe you could do all you said you could, and if you will come down to my office tomorrow morning I will give you the million dollars you need."

There is always plenty of capital for those who can create practical plans for using it.

That was the beginning of the Armour Institute of Technology, one of the very practical schools of the country. The school was born in the "imagination" of a young man who never would have been heard of outside of the community in which he preached had it not been for the "imagination," plus the capital, of Philip D. Armour.

Every great railroad, and every outstanding financial institution and every mammoth business enterprise, and every great invention, began in the imagination of some one person.

F. W. Woolworth created the Five and Ten Cent Store Plan in his "imagination" before it became a reality and made him a multimillionaire.

Thomas A. Edison created the talking machine and the moving picture machine and the incandescent electric light bulb and scores of other useful inventions, in his own "imagination," before they became a reality.

During the Chicago fire scores of merchants whose stores went up in smoke stood near the smoldering embers of their former places of business, grieving over their loss. Many of them decided to go away into other cities and start over again. In the group was Marshall Field, who saw, in his own "imagination," the world's greatest retail store, standing on the selfsame spot where his former store had stood, which was then but a ruined mass of smoking timbers. That store became a reality.

Fortunate is the young man or young woman who learns, early in life, to use imagination, and doubly so in this age of greater opportunity.

Imagination is a faculty of the mind which can be cultivated, developed, extended and broadened by use. If this were not true, this course on the Fifteen Laws of Success never would have been created, because it was first conceived in the author's "imagination," from the mere seed of an idea which was sown by a chance remark of the late Andrew Carnegie.

Wherever you are, whoever you are, whatever you may be following as an occupation, there is room for you to make yourself more useful, and in that manner more productive, by developing and using your "imagination."

There you have it, from many successful people. Don't underestimate the importance of your imagination.

How and why it works.
Images produced by the imagination are processed by the brain in ways similar to actual memory images. As a result, your brain can be made to remember, believe and act on information that you feed it from your imagination.

How do you use this tool to help achieve success?
Since this letter is related to success in business, let's use that as our focus in using the imagination.

First, find a quiet spot where you won't be disturbed for about 20 minutes. Now, follow these easy steps:

• Sit, relax and be comfortable.
• Close your eyes and start to picture things in your mind. One good starting exercise is to mentally name each of the eight colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown and black), while you visualize an object with that color (red apple… blue elephant – hey, this is your imagination, not a documentary. Have fun with it.).
• Now, imagine yourself looking at a movie screen, with a movie of you, as you want to be. You get to write, direct and act in this movie. Create and visualize this movie showing you being successful in a business of your own. See yourself enjoying your money and your spare time. See yourself in your new car or truck, or at your new desk. Be sure to notice details of these situations.
• Don't try to visualize too many things in a session. Instead, imagine vivid details about a situation; imagine smells, colors, sounds and feelings.
• Remember, this is not about today's "reality." This is about what you want and desire to happen.

If you perform this exercise faithfully for 21 days, you are certain to see some big changes in your outlook and in your life.

In case you are wondering how this can help you, here's how it works. Your mind takes these images and turns them over to the subconscious part of your mind. Your subconscious then realizes that you desire those things and it is supposed to be making those images come true. It then starts finding ways for that to happen. At some point, ideas and reminders will start flooding your mind. Be ready to act on them. This is what is sometimes known as "opportunity knocking."

Still not sure. Look, I wouldn't lie to you. I like you because you're like me. Just try it for 21 days – once or twice a day. What do you have to lose; a bit of time? This is part of the commitment you made to your success.

Please contact me with any comments or questions at Mel@start-home-business.org.